


Dawn Summons

by FlorentineQuill



Series: Preening Her, Preening Him [1]
Category: Maleficent (2014)
Genre: Diaval - Freeform, Diaval is not a morning person, Gen, Maleficent - Freeform, prelude fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-04 00:18:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1760535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlorentineQuill/pseuds/FlorentineQuill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Diaval is summoned early in the morning for one of his first reports.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dawn Summons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ambrosia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambrosia/gifts).



Diaval swooped down onto a tree branch near Maleficent, making the oak rustle and bend under his weight. He had spent the past week roosting near the castle, figuring out where the best gossips worked and where a large, dusky bird might settle himself to listen. Before dawn, he had felt the silent call of her magic, prickling in blood and bone. He had found himself flying before the sun had risen, grumbling low in his throat, to one of the solitary forest lakes that she preferred. She was waiting for him, settled on a rock that faced the east.

Having arrived, he waited for her to transform him into his man-shape that she might hear his news. When she didn’t immediately acknowledge him, he took the chance to shake himself all over and preen an errant feather or two back into place after the long flight. Feathers settled, he waited.

. . . 

“Quark?” he ventured but Maleficent didn’t move. Diaval cocked his head to one side, considering his mistress. She was dressed for the day (he thought), but her hair wasn’t tucked under the intimidating wraps she seemed to wear. For now, it was left loose, tucked behind her ears, wisps blowing in the early morning breeze. He sidled back and forth along his branch, before fluttering down to the ground. 

He grumbled and muttered to himself as he sidled up to Maleficent. (His mother has always scolded that, even for a raven, he was too talkative for his own good.) He turned his head from side to side, trying to see what had caught his mistress’s attention so thoroughly. The lake was still this early in the day, the mist still burning off the water in swaths of gold. The birds in the area were waking up, calling out hellos and warnings to each other but nothing of interest.

He fluffed his feathers after several minutes and eyed Maleficent. She was still staring at the lake. Her hand was within range of his beak but he didn’t fancy finding out what she would turn him into for pecking her. He stretched out his neck and grabbed a bit of her sleeve. He hopped backwards, tugging at the heavy fabric. 

This finally broke her concentration and she glanced down at him. He let go of her sleeve and cocked his head. For a few moments, she looked almost confused, eyebrows knitting together but then she blinked and there was nothing but familiar ice in her gaze. She waved her hand and he shifted (an odd, tingling ache that made him want to stretch and scratch all over), kneeling next to her on the rock.

“What news, Diaval?” she asked.

“I’m not an owl, you know,” he complained. “What are you doing, summoning me before dawn? I could have flown into a tree and broken something. Or eaten by an actual owl. Then where would you be?” She raised one eyebrow and he sighed. “Nothing beyond a lot of wedding chatter so far,” he reported grudgingly and settled himself to tell her the rest.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is more of a prelude to the all the other Maleficent fics in my brain than anything else. More to come...


End file.
